


Revival

by Gabbelina



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), Super Mario Odyssey (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, Explicit Language, F/M, Horror, I Will Not Warn You Again, Multi, Music, Mystery, Plot Twists, Rape/Non-con Elements, Violence, You Have Been Warned, expect the unexpected
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:54:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22779790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabbelina/pseuds/Gabbelina
Summary: WARNING: Do not read this if you cannot handle what has previously been tagged. This is the last warning you will receive.“Don’t worry, Sweetpea. We’ll make things better. Right, Daddy?” Mother said, shooting a look to Peach’s father. He gave her a sidelong glance and then turned his focus on Peach.“Mommy’s right, peach fuzz. We will figure something out so we can ALL come home together.”
Relationships: Koopa | Bowser & Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool, Koopa | Bowser/Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	1. Living the Dream

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_“R U N.”_

  
  


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Peach sat bolt upright and clutched her head between her hands, beads of sweat pooling between the spaces of her fingers. Her hair and soaking wet blankets clung to her skin like cheap cling wrap. 

“You look like trash,” a voice drawled from her bedroom door. Peach grabbed the corner of her blankets and peeled them off of her body, grimacing as the open-air assaulted her wet skin.

“‘Hey’ to you too, Daze... “ Peach rubbed the sleep from her eyes - - which was a mistake. The salt on her skin caused the edges of her eyes to burn. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Someone has to make sure you’re taking this seriously.”

“I thought you weren’t going to be a part of it.”

“Yeah, well… That was before Mario told me you haven’t been answering his calls,” Daisy muttered, pressing her lips into a thin judgemental line. “He just wants to help, you know.”

The rickety twin-sized bed gave a pitchy squeak of protest as Peach stood. Interlocking her fingers above her head in a tall stretch, she struck a suggestive pose, holding Daisy’s gaze. Lowering one hand, she pulled the wrinkled ribbon at her waist, causing her pajama pants to loosen dangerously. Giving a flirtatious wink, she tugged the top of her pants lower, “I need _your_ help, Daisy. Not his.” 

Daisy scrunched her face and turned a pointed glare towards the dresser in the far corner as she leaned on the doorframe of Peach’s room. “Keep dreaming... Slut.”

“Hoe.”

+

\--Elbows-- Why does everyone have to have sharp elbows? Peach checked the sterling silver watch on her wrist and frowned, glancing at the long line ahead of her. Children poked, prodded, danced, shuffled, screamed… Just sharing the same air as them was giving her anxiety. The teenage boys behind her were just as bad but their size and weight made accidental contact a little less harmless. 

The smells here were so strong it was almost sickening. A mixture of fried foods, burnt sugar, and wet grass soured her sense of smell as Peach stood in line to enter the fairgrounds. This was the land of Lights, Laughter, and the Pursuit of Obesity. Normally, this kind of atmosphere would incite at least a small smile. She wasn’t always this serious, but the pool of bubbling acid in her stomach churned incessantly. 

“What’ll it be, lil’ lady?” An elderly Koopa with a bright orange and yellow vest raised his eyebrows expectantly. 

“Ummm…” Peach pulled out her wallet and fumbled through her cash. “One adult.”

“...One day or weekend pass?” the old man ducked his head down under the counter of his ticket booth with a grunt. 

“One day, thanks.”

When the Koopa sat up in his chair, he gave her a calculated look and slowly licked the tip of his thumb as he unrolled a brand new batch of tickets. “Say, lady?”

Peach lifted her eyes to him.

“Have you seen the news lately?”

“No, but I heard the fairgrounds have had some big renovations this year,” she answered, feigning a light-hearted smile. 

“Be sure to use that fancy computer doodad of yours and oggle it… or whatever you kids call Web Searchin’ these days. Lotsa _exciting_ things goin’ on.” He glanced at her as he tore a single red ticket from the stack and placed it on the counter. As Peach picked it up, he placed his wrinkled hand over hers. 

“Enjoy y’self and uh… stick to the crowds, Sweethaut,” he gave her a meaningful look before lifting his hand and turning his attention towards the group of teens behind her. A small shiver ran down her spine but she brushed it away along with a rogue strand of blonde hair that kept poking her in the eye. She thought about asking him further, but the ticket booths were crowded and his attention had already been diverted. Maybe once the crowd died down...

***Bzzt Bzzt***

A message from Daisy appeared at the top of her notifications.

_“I’m in line at the hotdog stand.”_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

_“Oh. And I’m almost out of cash.”_

Rolling her eyes, Peach swiped the message off of her screen with a huff. Pocketing her phone, she made her way towards the food stands just past the carnival games. The park itself was a circle with food, live music, and rides branching out on all sides. Though this place had always been popular, the recent renovations to the grounds seemed to have rekindled the interest of the surrounding community. It was jam-packed with people. But in the middle of all of the grease, dinky music, and chaos stood the fair’s crown jewel - the merry go round.

The massive ride had been there since the park’s first opening. Gold and white were its primary color scheme but all of the moving seats on the ride were painted with bright colors. Dragons, butterflies, tigers, horses! You name it. It was there for you to ride. Unless, of course, some selfish, no good _brat_ got there first.

It was in pristine, mint condition. Sure, there were probably some scrapes and chips if you looked real close, but the owner of the park worked hard to keep the merry go round in tip-top shape. Despite all of the crappy stuff going on in the world, no matter what life gave or took, this ride would always be a light in the dark. A beacon of good memories and childlike wonder. A monument of…...

“...”

A quiet whimper caught Peach’s attention. She turned her head towards a small walkway that stretched behind several carnival stands. 

  
  


“…”

There it was again. 

Without a second thought, Peach stepped into the makeshift alleyway behind a cotton candy booth. As soon as she rounded the corner, a small huddled figure came into view. A child no more than seven years old by the looks of it. The gender wasn’t certain but their fingers were tangled in their matted hair and the lengthy sleeves of their shirt were pulled back just enough to show a nasty cluster of bruises and gashes on their forearms..

“Hey… You alright?” Peach asked in an almost whisper, crouching slightly to make herself look smaller and less intimidating. 

The mop of curly black hair lifted and a pair of dark brown eyes widened. The little child wiped their runny nose on their arm and studied her cautiously. 

“Are you lost?” Peach gave a gentle smile. They sniffled and shook their head slightly. “Do you want to come with me so we can find people who can help?”

They shook their head.

“Okay... No problem. I can go and ask for you if you don’t want to.” As she stood up to exit the alley, the child rushed forward and grabbed her hand. She winced at the sudden contact. Their little hands were still wet from snot and tears. Holding back a gag, Peach knelt back down and gave them a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you alone. There’s a nice lady officer just around the corner…”

They shook their head profusely and began pulling her hand. 

“You want me to go with you?” Peach hesitated and looked deeper into the alley. 

They nodded and pulled harder. It was certainly dark back there, but their look of desperation pulled at Peach’s heartstrings. What about Daisy? This wasn’t really a part of the plan for tonight, but… it couldn’t hurt to follow him in a little ways. With a resigned sigh, Peach nodded her head and let the child lead her to the end of the alley, or at least, what she thought had been the end of the alley. But to her surprise, there was a gap between the kiosks just big enough to squeeze through. 

As she and the child squeezed through the gap and into a supply tent, a heavy sense of foreboding began to set in… But not as heavy as the arm that snaked around her shoulders, causing her to stumble forward with an unflattering squawk of surprise. The room permeated with the odor of cheap cologne and booze. She cringed as she imagined the smell transferring to the fabric of her new pink fur jacket. 

*Whistle*

“He _y_ t _he_ re, _to_ o _t_ s! Golllly, what a looker.” The person holding her hostage was a tall gaunt man. A hungry gleam in his beady black eyes caused her shoulders to inadvertently tense. If his profile had to be described generally, he looked like the smell of mildew. He had a standard buzz cut and a pudgy nose that tilted with the scuzzy quirk of his smile.

As she studied the man, she caught a glimpse of the child ducking out the back of the tent. Good...

“Let. Me. Go,” Peach growled, digging her nails into the arm that was gripping her neck. She attempted to duck and swivel out of the man’s grasp but his fingers were already hooked under the collar of her shirt….. and she felt something cold and sharp press against her throat. …...

“ _C_ ome’n, _d_ ar _li_ n’! No nnneed to be _s_ o sto _dg_ y… _Gyah_!” 

A sharp yelp came from the man as she gave him a swift uppercut to the jaw. He stumbled back but he kept a firm grip on her collar as she tried to slip away. 

“ _W_ hy _yy_ you lit _tl_ e b…”

“Wooah there, Skeet. That’s not how we treat ladies, is it pal?” A second, figure stepped into the tent. He wasn’t nearly as tall as ‘Skeet’ but what he lacked in height, he made up for in confidence. Peach used the moment of hesitation and slammed an elbow into Skeet’s stomach. He let out a wet cough and clutched his stomach with both hands. Her freedom didn’t last long, though, as a new pair of iron muscled arms wrapped around her from behind.

Three men. Sleazy, Skeet (injured), and Brawn Cena.

“My, my, what a fierce expression. How… _exciting~_ ,” the Sleazy grinned devilishly. Peach struggled and fought against Brawnsy but, if the rest of him was as ripped as his arms were, there wasn’t much she was going to be able to do other than leave a few bruises and bite marks.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Peach rasped. 

“Me? I'm nobody, really. I’m just a small-town aspiring artist with a proposition for you,” the man ran a finger along the waistline of her pants and groaned. 

“Don’t touch m...,” Peach began but Brawnsy’s massive hand cupped her mouth and silenced her.

“You see, I’m a photographer of sorts and I need a model.” He pulled the band of her pants and began tugging them down her hips, drawing his fingers against the lace of her panties. “...shit… I’ll bet you could strike the prettiest little poses for me.”

Peach bucked and tried to stomp on the shoes of the man holding her but he was wearing steel-toed boots. 

“What’s wrong, babe? Isn’t this what you wanted? It’s your own fault for being an attention-seeking slut. Damn you and your slutty outfit. It’s enough to make any respectable man snap. Can you blame me? We’re practically made for each other. You want Attention and I’m the Seeker. What’s wrong with giving you the attention you deserve for dressing like this? Why push away the hand that is willing to give it?” With a lazy shove, Peach was thrown forward and slammed into a large wooden storage box. The rough splintery edges snagged her shirt as Skeet grabbed hold of her shoulders and held her bent over the box. 

“Those are some _tight_ pants, sweetness. Too tight to be comfortable. Hows about we take em off and get… comfortable before we get started?”

*Riiiiip* 

Peach felt her the brisk evening air on her skin as her pants fell to the ground, pooling around her ankles. Laughter came from the men surrounding her until...

  
  


_~“Bad boys,_

_Bad boys,_

_Watcha gunna do?_

_Watcha gunna do when dey come for you?”~_

***FLASH*** **_shutter_ ** ***FLASH***

  
  
  


“What the f…?!”

The tent was suddenly filled with a myriad of bright flashing lights and the sound of music.

Peach couldn’t help the manic grin that began curling across her features. With an almighty push off the wooden box, Peach spat straight in the eyes of Skeety-boi who had been holding her down. While his hand flew up to instinctively protect his face, she planted a foot on top of the box and launched herself forward, grabbing his head with both hands and ramming his nose with her knee. His face gave a sickening crack before he fell to the ground.

Now free of her captor, Peach struck a hand into her bra and pulled out a sleek black expandable baton. With a flick of her wrist, the end of the rod extended with a satisfying, *ssshhhtick*. 

_~”You go to school_

_And learn the golden rule_

_So why are you_

_Acting like a bloody fool”~_

  
  


*Whack!*

Peach gave an even-handed swing, catching Brawnsy in the temple. As his body crumpled to the ground, she elbowed the Sleasyartist in the ribs and cracked the end of the metal over the back of his head. She grinned when she heard him hit the dirt with a groan. 

~”Hmm hmm hmm… 

Du nu-nu-nu-nu”~

Humming to herself, she picked her phone off the ground near her ruined pants, turned her location on and started taking pictures of the men on the ground. A frown crossed her face as Brawnsy started to shift and groan. Deleting the previous picture she had taken of him for evidence, she slammed him in the head with her baton and took a more recent picture of the unconscious man.

“Ah. Got your good side this time...” Peach smiled. Her smile faltered as the entrance of the tent flew open. 

*Click-click*

**BANG**


	2. Blood

Searing pain sent Peach reeling to the ground. 

...Four men. 

Well, shit.

The smell of iron and wet grass filled her nose as she fell to her knees and laid her forehead on the dirt. Peach lifted her right hand and clamped her fingers over her left bicep. Her fur jacket was too thick for her to be able to check the damage, but the material inside her sleeve was starting to feel warm and sticky. Peach pressed harder to constrict blood flow and a hollow groan leaked out from between her gritted teeth as she forced herself to lift her head towards the entrance of the tent. 

A man with a large hunch shuffled cautiously through the flaps, still pointing his gun in Peach’s direction as he dragged a small lanky body behind him.

“Stay where you are or I’ll shoot the mother fucking kid, Cop,” _ Lumpy Adams _ growled, turning his gun towards the whimpering child in his arms. 

“ No! No! Por favor déjame ir!”

“Shut up you little shit,” Lumpy hissed, repositioning his weapon so the muzzle of his handgun was pressed into their cheek. The child’s eyes widened, but their body went stock still. “Where’s your pose, bitch?”

“Right outside the tent, waiting for you to slip up so they can taze your ass and drop you into a cozy life sentence,” Peach spat weakly.

Lumpy’s sneer faltered and he turned his gun on her with a shaky hand. 

“B-bullshit… I-I’ve been outside on g-guard all night. No one was out there…” he stammered, moving closer to the entrance of the tent and leaning his shoulder on the flaps so he could peek out and check for signs of movement. After a moment of contemplation, his eyes lifted to Peach’s face and a shaky smile began to show on his face. “No. Y-you’re bluffing. The cops would already be swarming this place if they were in on this...” 

When he was satisfied that there was nothing suspicious happening outside, he bent down to study Braun Cena’s bloody face. “Fuck. Look at this mess.” 

The man turned his stare back to Peach and started to analyze her profile closer. His eyebrows raised when he saw her bare legs and the getup she was wearing. Her pink and white fur jacket was a hot pairing with the panties the previous men had left exposed. They were hip huggers with lace fringe, vertical black and white prison stripes, sewn-in LED lights, and a small hole for the lense of her mini camera that was squished semi-securely between her buttcheeks... Lumpy couldn’t see it, but it was there. Uncomfortable and very there.

“Oh, damn. You’re that Fault blue-blood, aren’t you?” Lumpy chuckled, his grin becoming less relieved and more manic by the second. “Did you come out here all on your lonesome to make a name for yourself, baby doll? Prove that Faults are just as good as the rest of us? I’ll bet your division doesn’t even care where you are. Though, I have to hand it to you. You have quite a bit of luck for a Fault. You got the drop on these morons pretty damn good. But... you  _ REALLY _ should have left the job to people who are qualified.” 

*Thwack*

Peach struggled to remain upright on her knees and keep her eyes alert as the butt of Lumpy’s weapon caught her on the side of the head. The impact didn’t cause any stars to appear in her vision, but it certainly didn’t help the headache that blood loss was already contributing to. 

“Say that again when you’re behind bars. It’s only a matter of time before my partner hands you your ass,” Peach murmured, hoping to keep his attention. Humpy chuckled at her and threw the whimpering child haphazardly to the ground beside her. After threatening the kid to stay where they were, Humpy bent down in front of Peach with his hands resting on his knees, finger still resting lazily on the trigger.

“Oh yeah. Where is the slutty little lesbian companion of yours? Are Faults a kink now?”

With a quick swipe of her hands, Peach grabbed the gun, twisted, and wrenched the weapon out of his hands.

*ZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTT*

“Late… like your badass dick-slinging mother, ya homophobic twat,” Daisy snarled with her finger pressed on the button of her million-volt stun gun. Lumpy began convulsing violently on the dirt. After a few more seconds, the putrid smell of piss filled the air and Daisy tapped something behind her ear. “All clear.”

Heavy footsteps and shouting came from outside the tent as cops wearing heavy protection came rushing into the tent with weapons drawn. In a flurry of quick movement, the tent was ripped down and the pile of unconscious men were cuffed and stuffed. The child was incredibly shaken by the ordeal but seemed relieved to be taken in by officers who weren’t walking around with LED lights on their ass.

Once Frumpy Spasms was cuffed and taken off of Daisy’s hands, Daisy rounded on Peach with a furious glare. “What the actual HELL were you thinking?! Going off alone?? What happened to sticking to the plan?! You’re  _ own _ plan!!”

“SHHHH! I’m fine, Daze! At least let me get a selfie before you freak out and make your eyes all red and puffy!” Peach lept forward and handed Daisy the camera. “Hold this for a sec.”

Peach used her good arm to pull her sweaty hair out of her face as Daisy eyed the camera with a questioning look. 

“... Your jacket doesn’t have pockets. Where were you hiding this?” Daze asked with a thoughtful frown. Peach grabbed it from her hands and leaned her bad arm carefully on Daisy as she lifted and aimed the camera towards them. 

“Stuffed it between my sweaty hams. It was a terrible decision but my hindsight was 20/20.” Peach winked. 

*Flash*

“Say cheese, Deez!” Peach grinned.

*Flash* *Flash* *Flash*

Daisy balked, rubbing her hands on her electric green high waisted tights. “You’re a total freak, you know that?”

*Flash*

“If you think that’s bad, wait until I tell you where I hid the batteries for the LEDs,” Peach said, tugging awkwardly on the lace of her panties with a slightly less enthusiastic smile. 

“You… I… Stars damnit... Listen, Peach. Do you have any idea how badly this could have ended? The fair was jam-packed with people! If you hadn’t turned on your location when you did, we might never have found you... . . . ” Daisy stopped her rant as officers began covering the area with lights and caution tape. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Peach winced when she followed Daze’s gaze and spotted blood dripping from the knuckles of her left hand.

“... Peach… is that blood? Holy fuck… Peach, y-you’ve been shot,” she stammered in shock. “Shit! Medic!! We need a medic!!”

“Daze, wait! I’m fine! I only got clipped!” 

“MEDIC!” Daisy yelled louder, pulling Peach by her good arm towards the red and blue flashing lights that had congregated around the premise.

Before she could protest, a small purple Yoshi was ushering Peach inside the back of an ambulance and sat her down on the gurney. Pulling out a knife, the nurse moved to cut off the sleeve of Peach’s jacket. 

“No, really... let me slip out of this, patch myself up real quick, and have Daisy drive me to the hospital. My keys are in my purse and if you just give me a moment I can…” Peach tried to reason with the Yoshi until her eyes rested on the tall figure sitting in the back. 

The doors of the Ambulance shut behind her with a menacing click.

…

“Father?” Peach whispered hoarsely. 

“Daughter. Sit still and let the kind nurse do her job,” he frowned, his steely blue eyes taking on a silver edge. Peach stopped struggling against the Yoshi and stared at him with an open mouth. He was still wearing his lab coat.

A long moment of tense silence ensued as the ambulance pulled out of the fairgrounds and onto the paved road. 

“Y-you’re back. Did… you find a cure for Mother?” Peach asked eagerly, allowing the nurse to lay her down on her back and cut the fabric off of her arm. Something in her father’s stern gaze softened.

“No. She… she’s going to be out for a while. What she did was risky, but she thought… Well, you know how your mother is. Once she starts, she never lets go,” he said, a small quirk in his smile appeared but it was… lugubrious somehow. “I couldn’t make her stop… You, on the other hand, are a different story.”

Peach instantly bristled.

“Your apartment has been reassigned, your belongings relocated, and your resignation sent to the precinct,” her father continued stoically. “This is your new address. Memorize it. All of your magazines, bank accounts, insurance, and post office information have been switched over. If you attempt to cancel the changes, I will be personally notified.”

“You show up after two years... for this?” Peach muttered, wincing as the nurse started cleaning the bullet wound. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to get this job?”

“An accomplished young woman with your credentials will get another. This post is beneath you,” his eyes glanced down towards the lower half of her body and back to her face. 

Though her face flushed, Peach bit back the feeling of embarrassment and swallowed it. She had worked hard on those panties!

“You’re right. All of this is beneath me. I could do so. much. more. But that means nothing when you continuously prove that  _ nothing  _ is beneath you.”

“Peachfuzz…”

“Have you even visited Mother?” Peach cut him off. She hated that nickname.

“... My time is better spent searching for a way to reverse her current situation.”

“Ah. So this is only quick and easy preventative maintenance. Do you really think you can keep me under your thumb just by showing me that you _ know I’m still alive!? _ ” Peach grabbed a metal canister filled with cotton swabs and threw it at her father. Taken by surprise, he ducked, surveyed the dent the canister had left on the wall, and leveled her with a look of shock and confusion. She gave a humorless laugh at the expression on his face. “If you don’t care enough to be a part of my life, then stay out of it. You forfeited your right to tamper with my choices the day you left me with Grandfather.”

Father scoffed, “You do realize he is my subordinate.”

“Both of you had a choice - he’s the one that’s still here. You quit your  _ post _ and he took your place. Grandfather didn’t want to give up retirement, but he took the job anyhow. Even though he’s older than dirt and has a gimpy leg, he  _ still _ filled your shoes,” Peach seethed as the car came to a stop and she heard the driver’s door open. Sitting up from the bed and motioning for the nurse to open the doors, she stood and turned to her stone-faced father. “And you know what he has that you will never have?”

He peered at her sharply through his half eye-glasses.

“Me.”

A shimmer shone on the edges of his eyes, but he said nothing and kept his features rigidly neutral. Taking this as his answer, Peach stepped off the back of the Ambulance.

“If this happens again, I’ll take Daisy away,” Father stated coldly. “I can’t allow this type of behavior to taint our reputation.”

Peach spun around. “ _ Reputation?  _ My job saved lives! What can you say about yours??”

Nail, meet Head. 

The immovable mask finally crumbled and Peach caught a glimpse of a broken man just before the doors closed. 

... Serves him right.

.._. ._ _ …. . ._. .._. ._ _ . ._. .._. ._ _ …. . ._. .._. ._ _ …. . ._. .._. ._ _ …. . ._. 

_ “...so we can all come home together.”  _

_**Liar.** _


	3. Rune

History classes had been a double-edged sword for Peach. Not only were her teachers standard and the class itself scheduled at inconvenient times, but the content set Peach on edge. Each topic they covered only cemented the fact that humanity was a fickle race. Koopas, Yoshis, Shyguys, Goombas… Most of them were rather easy pleasers and great neighbors. Though they were highly intelligent and equally as complex as humans, their history was straight forward and almost bland. The same couldn’t be said for humanity. 

Take slavery for example. 

Centuries. _Actual centuries_ passed before the human race finally eradicated Shyguy enslavement - but that wasn't really for freedom’s sake. It was mostly because life had already become as easy as people could make it and slavery was starting to become more of a budget breaker than a convenience. Why go through all of the trouble of black market shopping? Why buy another mouth to feed when there was a machine, App, or business that could get you anything you wanted when you wanted without the need of constant maintenance? 

Change for the sake of what’s ‘right’, ‘moral’, and ‘better’ can happen, but it takes a lot of time. Change for the sake of ‘convenience’? That’s another story. 

In reality, very little time is needed to change the world.

It had only been six years since her parents created Rune technology and the whole world had… upgraded. The global energy crisis was completely averted. Cancer, Aids, and all of the deadliest illnesses were eradicated in one night. An unprecedented state of peace gripped Earth and all of its inhabitants as Rune technology was handed out to anyone willing to pay for it. 

The best part? It was impossible to weaponize. No one else knew how to replicate her parents’ success, let alone abuse it. Magic and technology working in harmony to make lives easier, healthier, more balanced. 

Her parents' legacy. The life mission they had sacrificed everything for, including their own family.

It figures that Peach is immune to this miracle cure-all.

“For the love of stars, doesn’t anyone have pain meds?” Peach groaned as the white Shyguy pushed her bed into the Trauma Center. The pain in her arm was hitting its peak and there was no hope of relief in sight. 

“Any pain you may be enduring currently will be relieved instantaneously once Rune has been administered and activated,” a tall man with messy brown hair and tan skin remarked. “Hello. I am Doctor Antasman and I will be overseeing your….”

“You have the wrong records. My name is Peach Toadstool and Rune has no effect on me,” Peach snapped at him.

“I can assure you that any previous short falling of Rune has been patched,” Antasaman explained cooly, nodding his head to the four rather beefy nurses surrounding her bed.

Each one expertly helped to lift and place Peach onto a much less comfortable bed and… began strapping her down.

“What are you…?” Peach wrenched her feet out of the hands of the nurses at the end of the bed and pulled them closer to her chest. The two nurses closer to her face had already strapped her hands down and pushed her shoulders down to the table. “Get off!”

“Please, calm down Miss Toadstool. This is standard procedure,” Antasman said in a collected voice.

“Like hell it is!!” Peach thrashed against the nurses and kicked one of them square in the chest. Her good hand slipped out of the loose strap and she grabbed one of the hands holding her upper body to the bed, digging her nails into any unprotected skin she could reach. “Don’t touch me!”

Half of the medical staff was kicked to the floor or clutching savage red claw marks on their hands and faces in under a minute. As soon as Peach had enough time, she began freeing her bad arm and pulling at the straps desperately. The moment she loosened the ties, she slid off the bed and bolted for the doorway leading out of the Trauma Center and into the rest of the hospital. 

A large yellow hand grabbed her by the good arm just as she made it through the door. 

_Shit_.

“Help! There’s a bomb!! There’s a bomb in the building! Terrorists!! I’m being held host...” Peach screamed down into the hallway. Dozens of people in the hallways froze in place and stared with wide eyes as a massive Hammer bro covered her mouth and forced her back into the room. 

“Get her back on the bed and strap her down!” Antasman ordered sharply. 

Peach kicked and thrashed but it was no good. Hammer bros were practically today’s version of a Terminator. Their only weakness was their low stamina. If she had been just a second quicker, she could have easily outrun him.

But that didn't mean Peach would go down without a fight. She thrashed and squirmed with everything she had, causing the Hammer bro any trouble she could. One of the nurses that had recovered from being knocked to the floor took a heavy blow to the jaw as Peach swung her free leg as hard as she could. 

“That is enough.”

Suddenly, any illusion of control was lost. 

The raging anger inside Peach immediately fizzled away to dusty ash as her Father’s steely blue eyes and pristine white Lab coat came into view at the end of her bed. The frustration on his features was palpable in the rigid set of his jaw. 

“Now, lie still,” Father ordered, stepping past her bed towards the back of the room where the health monitors were stationed. 

A collective sigh of relief came from the medical staff in the room as Peach stiffly allowed them to tie her to the bed and cut off the bandage covering her bullet wound. The moment it was pulled off, a small line of blood began to run down her arm. 

“I should have known,” Peach muttered quietly. “You wouldn’t come back home just for me.”

“You are the reason I am here, Peachfuzz,” Father muttered, glancing at her from his spot in front of the monitors.

“No. You came back to see if you could fix me with Rune.”

Father shook his head and began sticking sensors on her forehead and neck.

“It’s never enough, is it? Can't just leave well enough alone. And yet, after all of this time, the only thing bringing you home is the thing that took you away,” Peach groaned bitterly. “I don’t want this.”

“What don’t you want? Magic? The ability to change the world around you with just a flick of your wrist? Instant connection with anyone you choose no matter where they are? And even if you don’t want all of that, you don’t want a normal life? How about a job you deserve? Think of it. No more discrimination or judgment. No sickness. Everything your Mother and I have worked for at your disposal.”

“I had a normal life. We all did,” Peach scowled.

Father frowned. “The past is… beyond our reach. But Rune can cure the afflictions of the past.”

“Can it cure regret?” 

“...No. And yes,” Father turned to Peach with a solemn expression. “If this works, we can fix these mistakes and bring back your Mother. We can make our family whole again.”

Peach watched him for a silent moment. “You can't fix this.”

Anger flared in her Father’s eyes and he nodded to someone. A cold and sharp pain pierced her skin before she realized there was someone standing on the other side of her bed. Turning her head, she locked eyes with Doctor Antasman who was inserting an alarmingly large syringe into her left shoulder above the bullet wound. Her vision began to swim with unshed tears as he added pressure and injected a very cold and burning liquid. 

The veins under her skin began to turn black.

“Doctor Toadstool has done an extensive amount of research to perfect and improve Rune. I am positive that his upgrades will allow the nanos to work despite your condition,” the doctor continued, emptying the last of the serum into her arm. With watery eyes, Peach watched as black tendrils of veins began to turn a lighter shade of grey and then shifted to a dark purple. What started as a prickling sensation began to burn like acid, spreading and branching out across her shoulder, up her neck, and down into her hand.

Peach let out a pained sob as she slammed her head back against the bed repeatedly.

“Restrain her,” Doctor Antasman ordered the nurses. A smug smile grew on his face and her Father leaned closer to get a better look as the monitors began to whir to life. Blinking lights and numbers began filling the screens. Once Peach’s head was effectively strapped to the bed, all eyes in the room watched as the dark purple started to fade and disperse until it was no longer visible. Everyone was waiting for a miracle - - Any second now, her wound would begin to heal.

Any second.

.

.

The numbers on the monitors began to decrease.

.

.

The smug smile on Antasman’s face began to fall and the burning sensation under Peach’s skin began to dissipate.

.

.

Father stepped back from Peach’s bed and watched the monitors zero out with a blank stare.

.

.

Nothing.

Nothing happened.

Peach tried to ignore and suppress the bitter disappointment that settled in the center of her chest.

Any hint of hope on the faces of the people surrounding her bed withered away. Her Father’s eyes flickered to the nurse in the back. “Readings?”

“Nothing, Sir,” she said in bemusement.

“They were properly activated?” 

“Yes, Sir.”

Father’s eyes swiveled back to Peach’s arm and he glared at it, as if his frustration could possibly be strong enough to will the nanos to work. 

Still. Nothing happened.

“I… don’t understand,” Doctor Antasman muttered. “If they’re activated, they should at least give off some sort of readings, but… it’s as if they just... shut down?”

Father stepped closer to Peach and looked at the injection site, ignoring the hiss that Peach gave when he poked it. His gaze then lifted to a spot on her neck. “...maybe...”

“Might I ask what is going on here?” 

Peach turned her eyes to the hunched figure holding a cane in the doorway. Everyone in the room stopped their work.

“Doctor Toadstool. I see you’ve begun some sort of procedure without me… or my permission,” Toadsworth smirked, leaning on his cane. 

“This is an emergency case in the trauma sector. I was unaware that your permission was needed for treatment,” Father commented coldly.

“And I was unaware that ‘treatment’ meant allowing a trauma patient to bleed out on a gurney without proper medication and care. Under a certain light, this may be considered willful endangerment, of which I am certain you are _very_ aware of,” Toadsworth stated, turning his head towards the rest of the inhabitants of the room until his eyes rested on Doctor Antasman.

“Doctor, I most certainly hope you intend to properly treat this patient. If not, I see no reason for your continued practice within my hospital.”

Antasman, waking from his befuddle stupor, jumped into action and began corralling the nurses, ordering Peach a heavy dose of morphine before stepping out of the room.

“Grandfather,” Peach gave a watery sob. “It hurts.”

Toadsworth stepped forward and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. The harsh glare in his gaze softened as he wiped the tears from her face. “Don’t worry, Princess. Ol’ Good Doctor is here.”

A nurse hooked up an IV bag and pushed the needle under the skin of Peach’s wrist. 

Father stood by on the edge of the room, watching as the staff whirled in and out of the room, replacing all of the Rune monitors with outdated technology and scanners.

“The nanos malfunctioned despite all calculated success. I’ll need samples to analyze the...” Father muttered.

“Any further experimental treatment is strictly prohibited,” Toadsworth stated firmly, cutting Father off mid sentence. “...I am sorry, Toadstool. But you must leave my granddaughter out of this.”

“Need I remind you that _this_ is not my fault.”

“I know. But as I must take full responsibility, I must also cut the losses. For myself, for Peach, and for you, my friend,” Toadsworth said, giving Father a meaningful look. “...Once she has been properly stabilized, I’ll be sure you gather the samples you need. After that, you have two options: Continue your research elsewhere, or allow the past to die and come home.”

"Dr. Toadworth, you are needed in the intensive care unit. Dr. Toadstool, you might want to come too," a nurse called from the doorway, carefully keeping her eyes anywhere but on Peach's limp form. 

__ _ ========================== _ _ _ ==== _ ========== …. ==== . ============ ._.====== _ _ ====== _ _ _ === _ ================ …. ====== . ===== ._._

Both men gave each other a startled glance before Toadsworth looked back at Peach’s pale face. She squeezed his hand as the drugs finally started to take full effect. 

Toadsworth tapped his cane on the floor and addressed the nurse in the doorway with professional composure. “Page me if there are _any_ complications.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Once Toadsworth and her Father left the room, Peach was left to herself. Her assigned nurses remained quiet and barely spared her a glance as they busied about the rest of the evening. 

_.. ======== _ _ === ... ========_ _ _ ====== ._. =================== ._. === _._ __

If any of them heard Peach cry that night, none of them acknowledged it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay home and stay safe, my friends.


	4. Good Doctor

_ 19 Years Ago _

_ Doctor visits were Peach’s least favorite things in the world. It always smelled funny and sometimes it would hurt. Especially pointy things. Mother said they were important to have to keep her ‘balloon systems’ strong. Peach liked balloons. If it helps them, then maybe it was worth it. _

_ “Alright, let me set your purse on the table where ‘King’ can see you,” Mother said, motioning towards the table in the corner of the office. Peach nodded, handing her mother her bedazzled pink and purple purse. Mother took the purse and set it on the edge of the table, making sure that ‘King’ the head was pointed towards Peach.  _

_ King was Peach’s favorite dinosaur toy. He was a fearsome yellow and red t-rex with sharp teeth and a flexible tale. He was her pride and joy. He was very smart and ate all of his good dinosaur foods - veggies, broccoli, and peanut butter. He also spat fireballs when he was really angry. Mother didn’t like it when he did that though. _

_ There had been many times when the little boys from daycare had tried to take King from Peach. Most of them learned to leave her alone after she sent one of them home with an angry red bite mark on his hand. Her Mother REALLY didn’t like that.  _

_ “There we are! King has the perfect view,” Mother smiled, planting a kiss on Peach’s head.  _

_ *knock knock* _

_ A mustached Toad wearing a white coat and circular rimmed glasses walked into the room and shook hands with her mother with a distant expression. He was only a couple feet taller than Peach and had shiny gold-colored spots on his big round hat.  _

_ “This is Toadsworth and he likes dinosaurs too,” Mother explained, grabbing Peach under the arms and sitting her on the plastic strip lining the patient’s chair.  _

_ Toadsworth gave Mother a dry look and then leaned back on his heels. “Ahem - hmmm - Yes. I suppose I do like dinosaurs well enough. Although, I have never had the good fortune to... ' befriend' one,” he said as he began wiping a spot on Peach’s arm with something wet, cold, and smelly. She looked over at her dinosaur and then glanced at her mother with a panicked expression.  _

_ “Don’t worry, Peachy dear. He’s a very Good Doctor,” Mother smiled, sitting in a chair next to Peach, rubbing her knee soothingly. “Can you say, Good Doctor?” _

_ “G...Gootatter…” Peach struggled to pronounce.  _

_ “Yes! He’s a very Good Doctor,” Mother chuckled and nodded to Toadsworth. He stepped forward and injected the vaccine as quickly as possible.  _

_ It still hurt a lot though. Tears began streaming down Peach’s face without her permission. _

_ “Well done,” Toadsworth muttered plainly as he pulled out a tan band-aid. “My apologies for not having more colorful band-aids.” _

_ “S’alright, gootatter,” Peach whimpered, wiping her tears on her sleeve. _

_ “But I do happen to have a box of lollies you can choose from,” Toadsworth looked around the room thoughtfully before pulling out a drawer and picking up a plastic container full of different flavored lollipops. Peach’s eyes widened and she reached out to pick the pink one when her mother stepped in. _

_ “That's very kind of you, Toadsworth, but she is only allowed to have sugar on holidays,” Mother said, picking Peach up and setting her on her hip. “What do you say, Peach?” _

_ “Fanku,” Peach waved to Toadsworth, though her eyes were still on the lollipops in his hands as they left.  _

_ ____________________________________________________________________________ _

_6 Months Later_

  
  


_ “Good. Now, sit here on the edge of your seat… Marvelous! Wiggle your toes… Shake both legs…. Now lift them as HIGH as you caaan and thennnn - - Drop them!” Peach giggled as she dropped her legs and Toadsworth lifted his hands to silence her. “Wait! Shhhh… I think your legs fell asleep.” _

_ Toadsworth dipped his head down as if to listen. “Do you hear that?” _

_ Peach leaned forward, curiosity burning in her eyes. _

_ “I think I hear them snoring…” Toadsworth whispered and began making exaggerated gurgling sleep noises.  _

_ “Legs donn snore, silllly,” Peach giggled. _

_ “Yours do. And they snore reaalllyy loud,” Toadsworth explained, with a serious expression. “You see, when you move a lot, your body gets very tired and you fall asleep. But now that your legs fell asleep, I’m going to show you how to wake them up. Are you ready?” _

_ Peach gave an excited nod. _

_ Toadsworth took a small wooden hammer and tapped it twice just under her left knee cap. Peach gasped as her leg flung forward without her conscious consent. “Ah! This one’s awake. Now, let’s do the other one, shall we?” _

_ Again, Toadsworth tapped the spot just below her right knee cap with the little wooden hammer. A large smile broke out across Peach’s face as her leg jerked up and away from the table. _

_ “Perfect. Now both of your legs are wide awake and you can move them however much you like,” Toadsworth smiled, picking up his clipboard and scribbling short notes. _

_ “Cap?”  _

_ “Hm?” Toadsworth turned his eyes back to her. _

_ “Touch cap?” Peach pointed at his hat. _

_ “I say. Hasn’t anyone taught you not to touch a Toad’s cap? It is considered very rude,” Toadsworth shook his head, leaning out of her reach. _

_ “Wude?” Peach frowned. _

_ “Yes. It means not nice.” _

_ “You touch my caps…” Peach pointed to her knees. _

_ A stifled chuckle escaped Toadsworth. “You pose quite the argument for someone your age. I suppose I can meet you halfway. I tapped your caps four times. I’ll allow you to tap mine four times. Is this an acceptable compromise?” _

_ “...Touch cap?” _

_ “Yes. You can tap four times. Can you count to four?”  _

_ Peach nodded her head wildly, already reaching her hand out for him.  _

_ With a sigh, Toadsworth approached Peach’s chair, took one of Peach’s hands, and tilted his head just within the reach of her fingertips.  _

_ Tap _

_ Tap _

_ Toadsworth slowly let go of her hand. _

_ Tap _

_ Tap… _

_ On the last tap, Peach laid her palm on his cap, leaned forward and planted a small kiss beside her hand. _

_ “I wake up cappy,” Peach smiled.  _

_ Toadsworth coughed into his hand, “Ahem... Hm... Yes. Well. Thank you for your assistance, Miss Toadstool.”  _

_ *Click* _

_ Toadsworth straightened up as the door to the office opened and Peach’s mother poked her head in. “How is she?” _

_ “Young Miss Toadstool has met my examination with full marks. I have found no irregularities,” Toadsworth handed the clipboard to Mother. After a moment of reviewing the contents of the paperwork, Mother nodded her head and handed it back to Toadsworth.  _

_ “Thank you, Toadsworth. I will bring her back in six months,” Mother turned to Peach and smiled. “Did you enjoy your time with your Good Doctor?” _

_ “Yes, motha! We waked caps!” Peach beamed with pride. _

_ “Oh? That sounds fun,” Mother commented absently, picking up the little purse with Peach’s favorite dinosaur and handing it to her after she slipped off the patient chair. “What do you say to your Good Doctor, Peach?” _

_ “Thanku, Goodfodder!” _

_ “Of course,” Toadsworth nodded his head to her shortly before disappearing behind the door of his office. _

_ Peach dutifully held onto her mother’s hand as they exited the building and climbed into the car. Throughout most of the drive, Peach tapped her knee caps. It was frustrating business. Were her legs awake? Mother said they were. Peach couldn’t hear them snoring but her legs wouldn’t wake up like they did for Goodfodder. _

_ Oh well. _

_ It wasn’t until she was feeding King his dinner time veggies when Peach spotted a small white stick poking out of her bedazzled purse. Sticking her hand in, she wrapped her fingers around it and pulled out the most exciting find of her entire life. _


	5. Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya :) Excuse the wait. I am too much of a perfectionist to write on the fly, so I decided to write ahead and cement the plot a little more. Progress will probably slow down for now until I am sure I have all of my loose ends tied up. 
> 
> But don't you worry your gorgeous little heads. I'll make it up to you soon enough.

A pink lollipop.

It was the first thing Peach saw when she opened her bleary eyes. A smile lit her features as she reached out and grabbed the lollipop from her bedside table. Her hands shook as she gripped the stem with one hand and unwrapped it with the other. When she finally popped it into her mouth, she gave a happy hum and picked up her phone.

15 missed calls and 47 unread texts. 

All of them are from Daisy except for one phone call from Mario. A feeling of exhaustion grew with the frown on Peach’s face as she scolded through her notifications. The feeling only doubled when she pulled the lollipop out of her mouth and inspected it thoughtfully. 

_ Father.  _

The dull ache in her injured arm pulsed and she brought her fingers up to the fresh bandages. 

For months, life had been far too…  _ normal. _ In truth, it was good that the long period of borrowed peace and serenity broke. Peach knew a shoe or three would drop, she just didn’t know when, where, or how. Between the ever-present media hounds, twisted family relations, and infinite amount of trust issues, something or someone was going to kick up the dust. 

There is a sense of safety when you know what to expect. Now that one shoe had dropped, Peach found herself able to lie down and relax for the first time in several long months. 

At least, until her bladder began singing an anthem of rebellion. 

Careful not to jar the wrappings and stitches on her bad arm, Peach pulled off her bedsheets, slid her legs over the side of the bed, and used the table to pull herself upright. As she lifted her hand from the table, she noticed a small pink envelope lying face-up with her name printed on it.

Had that been there the whole time?

Despite her previous urgency, Peach picked up the envelope and opened it to reveal a slip of paper. The first thing she noticed was the painfully familiar chicken scratch, borderline illegible handwriting. The second thing she noticed was how short it was. 

It was… unexpected. Father was a man of few words, but he never left loose ends. He always preferred to deal with things in person. Teasing her lips with her teeth, Peach squinted and deciphered the words messily scrawled across the page.

  
  


_ Peach, _

_ I will be away on business for an undisclosed amount of time. There have been some complications at the Labs. _

_ You will find a urine sample cup in the restroom. When it is full, a member of the hospital staff will be there to retrieve it.  _

_ I know you resent me, but someday you will understand. _

_ ~ Yours _

_ XOXOXOXO _

  
  


_ “Like hell,” _ Peach growled under her breath, throwing the letter back on the table and resuming her trek to the restroom. Just as she rested her hand on the door handle, a polite male voice called after her.

“Ma’am, would you like any assistance?” Two men wearing mint scrubs and sharpie name tags shuffled into her room. Only visiting or short term medical staff wore those. 

_ ‘Gene Yuss’ _ , the first man who addressed her, stood with the poise of a prince and had a slender, but well-built form. He had baby blue eyes, pearly white teeth, and his orange hair, though short in the front, grew longer in the back. And… was he wearing golfing loafers?

_ ‘Tiny’, _ the second man, was a tall, broad-shouldered, beefcake with iron pecs and a rather impressive man bun. His arms were almost as hairy as his unkempt eyebrows and he had a fuschia Jimi Hendricks nose.

_ Ah. _

Even with all of the money Father had, he couldn’t bribe any of the regular hospital faculty to keep an eye on her. Toadsworth would have their asses and no one wanted their career path to be burned just for a cup of urine.

“Thank you, but no,” Peach said with cold civility, moving into the restroom and closing the door behind her with a loud _click_. As promised, there was a large sample cup sitting on a tray table by the toilet.

The audacity. 

A malicious grin lit Peach’s face as she detoured the cup completely and flushed every ounce of waste down the toilet. 

Father was going to be mad.

Scratch that. He was going to be absolutely livid… and Peach was going to relish every moment of it. Just as she relished the faces of the nurses when she walked out of the bathroom and lightly tossed the empty sample cup to them. First, the horror, then the confusion, and then… the realization that the cup hadn’t been filled with the desired substance.

Peach watched from her bed as Tiny ran into the restroom to check the toilet. As he checked, Gene held eye contact with her for several moments before he turned his scrutinizing gaze to the sample cup he was rolling between his fingers.

When Tiny came back out with nothing, both gentlemen left the room without another word, both several shades paler than they were when they had first entered her room. 

. . .

Several hours later, Peach finally resolved to turn off her phone after ignoring hours of constant texts and phone calls. Daisy was going out of her mind by the looks of it, Luigi sent a “hope you get better soon text”, Mario had called once, and her ‘former’ boss from the precinct was trying to reach her to get a statement for last night’s fiasco. Not like it really mattered. Her voice as a civilian would have less weight than it would if she were still an officer. Besides, Peach had been wearing a body cam and took photographic evidence. All of which had already been confiscated from her belongings and sent in for review.

Those men were going to be tucked away behind bars for a very long time. If only their past victims were still alive to see them get what they deserved.

As for Mario and Daisy, Peach couldn’t bring herself to care enough to communicate with them. Though, Luigi’s text did make her feel a little b…

*knock* *knock* *knock*

“Heyo! I’m-a here to-a…” All it took was one look at the mustache and the bright green plumber’s outfit to know who was standing in her doorway. “Peach?”

“Luigi?? What are you doing here?” Peach pushed herself into a sitting position and moved to set her feet on the floor.

“I-uh… I gotta call for a job-a… Oh gee. You-a don’ta have to get up-a, Peach!” Luigi stammered worriedly, racing to the side of the bed to stop her from standing.

“You’re here on business? In my hospital room?” Peach frowned at him. “Did Daisy put you up to this?”

“Ahh no!” Luigi waved his hands. “I swear! Daisy has-a nothing to-a with this! It's-a just a coincidence! I had-a no idea this was-a your room!” He patted his tool belt and rummaged through his pockets until he found a crumpled up sheet of yellow parchment. “I have-a proof!”

Peach took the note from his hands and skimmed over the contents. It was a receipt for the hospital to the Super Mario Bro’s plumbing services. One toilet in room #357 - West Wing.

“…Wow. That’s quite the coincidence,” Peach said in disbelief, handing Luigi back the receipt and giving a shaky smile. If he noticed the extent of her disbelief, he didn’t show it. 

“I know! I promise-a I won’t-a bug-a you too much. But I am-a glad to see-a you are okay. Daisy has-a been… worried,” Luigi winced and scratched his nose awkwardly. 

“Thanks, Luigi.” 

Luigi gave a funny little wobble and smiled, “Uhh… Well! I guess-a I should-a letta you rest!” With a tip of his hat, he retreated from Peach’s bedside and strode into the restroom.

15 minutes later, Luigi’s business was complete and his tools packed up into a small handbag. With a few more well wishes and a wave, he was gone, but not before Peach caught a glimpse of the liquid-filled glass vials hanging from a clip on his belt. 


	6. Intruders

_ --- .__--..._-...._________--.-----.._.-___.----

_I love how your eyes c.lo.se._

_ - - - - - -....._.- - _ _ _ __ _ _.- .. . ._-_._ _ - - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

....__---.._---...___._---..-_.-----.___------ -. . _. . . . .-__ __ _ - - ..._-.__-

_“Daisy, what are you doing? This is going to get me into so much trouble. If Grandfather finds out you snuck in…”_

_“Stop complaining and help me up, dammit!” Daisy grunted, stretching out her hand in Peach’s direction._

_After a moment’s hesitation, Peach grabbed Daisy’s hand and helped pull her up over the windowsill and into her bedroom._

_“Phew! Thanks, Peachy,” Daisy smiled, embracing and kissing both sides of Peach’s face._

_*ffffffflllpp!*_

_Peach jumped back behind Daisy as a red cap came flying through the open window. Not far behind it, a young man wearing a bright red t-shirt and denim overalls leaped effortlessly through the window, only to stop and grab the bright green collar of another young man who was having infinitely more trouble climbing his way up the back of the house._

_“Acccck!” The green-shirted boy tumbled in and flattened himself out, dripping sweat onto the cool wood floors. Redshirt boy merely looked around the room, studying the pink walls, and pop-star posters decorating the walls with a hint of a grimace._

_“Peach, these are my friends Mario and Luigi. Mario, Luigi, this is my cousin Peach,” Daisy smiled impishly, grabbing Peach’s shoulders and shoving her forward._

_Luigi, though still merging with the surface of the floor, lifted his hand and let out a string of untranslatable groans._

_Mario, who had only just picked up his red hat, gave a low bow and winked an electric blue eye at Peach before flipping his hat onto his head with a smooth flourish._

_“Yo!”_

_*Bump-bump*_

_“A-a-a…. D-... H……… Hi,” Peach stammered stupidly, gripping her shirt just over her frantic heart._

_ - - - - - -....._.- - _ _ _ __ _ _.- .. . ._-_._ _ - - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

....__---.._---...___._---..-_.-----.___------ -. . _. . . . .-__ __ _ - - ..._-.__-

_ --- .__--..._-...._________--.-----.._.-___.----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little time. Much anxiety. 
> 
> Always love <3 <3


	7. Announcement

*Click* *Creeaaaak*

Stuffing her keys into her purse, Peach stepped through the front door of her new apartment. A strong wave of lemon air fresheners and alcohol-based sterilizers assaulted her sense of smell. She could almost make out her own reflection on the midnight colored polished wood floors. As she hung her purse in the front hallway closet, Peach ran the tips of her fingers along the walls. They were pristine white and had a moist smoothness that felt suspiciously like wax.

When Peach came out of the front hallway, she entered an open floor plan. The kitchen and the living room were only separated by a large grey marble island complete with stools and a wine rack. The living room, like the rest of the apartment, was minimalist in style. The couch and lazy boy were both dark gray with black end tables, and the carpet was a thick white faux fur that (almost) made Peach hate the colorless apartment a little less.

As hard as Peach looked, there was no color anywhere. The closest splash of color she could see was the sickly green of the scraggly little tree decorating the sidewalk outside her balcony window. Even the occasional pieces of abstract art on the walls were black and white with black frames.

Not that black was bad. It was Peach’s favorite color. More than 75% of her wardrobe was black with skulls, rose patterns, glitter, frayed fringes, and gaudy stitch patterns. Hell, her favorite lipstick was called Charcoal Bomb; liquid black with a little bit of a shine. BUT she always added a splash of color into the mix whether through her sneakers, hairpins, nail polish, or wristbands. 

Peach took a glance into her bedroom. The sheets of her king-sized bed were white and the headboard was black. Nightstands - black. Dressers - black. Ceiling fan - black…. Yadda yadda… 

However, when she stuck her head into her master bathroom, her eyes immediately fell on a large pink teddy bear sitting on the bathroom counter.

Ah. There it was.

Like a love letter from the IRS or a wicker basket from the King of France.

A reminder that freedom is the reward for obedience. 

_“Forcing me into a pretty little gilded cage where he can threaten me and watch my every move. Fuck it,”_ Peach growled as she stomped through the apartment and tore her purse out of the closet. A mixture of anger and anxiety provoked the beginnings of a panic attack as she threw open the front door and stumbled down the front steps. Suddenly, the clouds blanketing the sky seemed far too close and the buildings around her felt more like the bars of a very small prison. 

The door of the apartment was left wide open and unlocked as Peach set off down the sidewalk, jamming her headphones in her ears and playing the first song on her “Kill Me Now” Playlist.

(Die Romantic by Aiden)

[ https://youtu.be/YbygUxEjnos ](https://youtu.be/YbygUxEjnos)

With every breath, the next sentence in the song. In and out. 

In and out...

After several minutes, the intense bought of claustrophobia and tunnel vision began to fade. When she finally gained self-awareness back, Peach found herself in downtown New Donk City. She chuckled to herself and pulled out her right earbud so she could listen to the bustle of rush hour traffic. The chaos of clashing sounds and smells made the world feel like it was turning on something other than chaotic energy. 

There wasn’t a street Peach didn’t know or a taxi she hadn’t pissed off while jaywalking. For every flashing light and neon sign, there was a memory. These were her stomping grounds. A place where she gave every babysitter and bodyguard the slip at least once - with help from her friends Daisy, Mario, Luigi, and Pauline, of course.

Their little Gang had been kicked out of every grocery store, bar, and restaurant on the strip; each kid deemed a public menace before the ripe age of 15. Other groups of young troublemakers who thought they were good enough to terrorize the New Donk streets were quickly outsmarted, outranked, outmuscled, and outclassed - - and sometimes, mercilessly beaten if they were caught bullying the deaf old Yoshi that lived near center square. 

Ain’t _nobody_ gon mess with ol’ lady Birdo. Nobody.

If time could be rewound and changes could be made, Peach would have let loose much earlier. Let go of her ‘perfect daughter’ ideals and made more memories. In the end, attempting to be 'perfect' only made forming new relationships and letting go of unhealthy ones harder. Perfection wouldn't bring her parents back.

It took her friends a full year to bring her out of her shell. When Toadsworth was first ordered to guard Peach, Daisy invited herself over, sneaking herself and two boys through a second-story window.

Luigi and... Mario, Peach’s first love. 

He was the first boy her age that she had been able to interact with for longer than 15 minutes, so that might have contributed to the hype… but meeting him initiated an era of rebellion. 

It is amazing what a 14-year-old girl would do for a crush. 

Especially a sporty, charismatic, attractive young man with a foreign accent who lived a life Peach wanted more than anything. A life of adventure and friendship. Mario did what he wanted and took people along for the ride. An ‘ _act first and break out of jail later_ ’ kind of guy. 

On the other hand, his brother Luigi, though perfectly capable of charming or befriending anyone, was completely the opposite. Luigi would rather cater to the party than be the life of it. He was also a master advice-giver and low-key genius despite being an introverted scaredy-cat. The guy could probably fix a jet engine with duct tape and a screwdriver. His biggest weakness, however, was Daisy. Even now, he could still just barely bring himself to speak a full sentence when she was in the same room. 

That was probably the reason why Luigi seemed to be the only person Daisy never got tired of teasing, though she didn't really have any interest in him. Despite being the founder of the Gang, Daisy was rightfully known as a spaz and a total flirt. Boys, girls? She’d chase them all. New acquaintance? She’d tap that. Member of the Gang? She’d smack that. Unless they were a bully. Daisy didn’t tolerate those. 

Pauline was the last one to join their band of misfits, but she definitely fit in real quick. She was a gorgeous bossy smartass with a silver tongue, a dream of changing the world, and impeccable fashion sense. The girl was a living fad. She wore booty shorts before anyone knew what they were and smiled when her schoolmates made fun of her. A month later, the whole city started wearing them religiously. 

The official story is that a famous New Donk fashion model named Vivian Papier started the booty shorts trend when she posed for a summer magazine. But really, the trend took off after Pauline’s family attended a high-profile holiday party.

Pauline wanted to wear a strapless knee-length dress. Simple but classy.

Her father wanted her to wear an old fashioned floor-length dress with long sleeves and a high neckline so that she _‘wouldn’t make any of the men feel uncomfortable.’_

As a compromise, Pauline showed up in handmade bright red and green glitter booty shorts that read, “ho ho ho” on the back. 

It was the only time her father hit her in public.

It was also the last time anyone saw him in public. 

Vivian Papier, having been the host of the party, reprimanded Pauline’s father publicly and had him thrown out of the establishment on his ear. The paparazzi ate that shit up and turned it into quite a scandal. Pauline’s father ended up moving out of the Mushroom Kingdom altogether, leaving Pauline behind with her mother for a few years until things settled down. 

During those years, booty shorts showed up everywhere. Vivian sent Pauline several new pairs every month and Pauline proudly wore them every day.

Peach both secretly idolized and jealousy resented Pauline when she first joined their Gang. Pauline was bold, beautiful, and took risks at every turn while Peach struggled to muster up enough courage to change her hairstyle. 

In retrospect, it was no wonder why Mario fell head over heels for Pauline from the first moment he met her. She was a couple of years older than him, sure, but that definitely didn’t stop him from grabbing her hand and pulling her on every adventure he could think of.

Those were some of the most eventful (slightly illegal) days of their lives.

It broke Mario’s heart when Pauline and her mother went to visit her father for a holiday and ended up _disappearing_. The same day she left on a flight heading out of the Mushroom Kingdom her cell phone was disconnected and email erased. 

Pauline was gone. Completely wiped off the map.

And there was nothing Mario could do to get her back.

Until one year ago when she moved back to New Donk City… with her husband.

***Shhheeeerrrrrrrrkkk***

The sound of shrieking tires and the faint smell of burning rubber brought Peach out of her wandering thoughts. Without realizing it, she had ended up standing in front of old lady Pinto’s house. 

Peach studied the For Sale sign standing in the neglected garden for a moment before letting her self through the front gate and sitting down on the front porch. For a good hour, she sat on the weed-infested steps, allowing herself to get lost in thought; the draw of New Donk City’s nostalgia stronger than the anxiety and anger.

***Bzzt Bzzt***

The music in Peach’s earbuds momentarily paused as a new message popped up on Peach’s phone.

Gramps:

_“We need to talk.”_

That didn’t sound good. Then again, Toadsworth had always been an 'angry texter'. 

Peach: _“Meet me @ Golden Drink Bar”_

With a cautious glance around, Peach got up from the porch, walked into the backyard, and lifted the corner of an old dilapidated rug. 

Underneath was her old gang’s secret stash of favorite prank signs.

As Peach left the yard, she pulled out the For Sale sign and replaced it with: 

“New Donk City Mayor! Vote for Pauline!” 

Peach chuckled to herself as she closed the gate behind her and began her trek further downtown. After turning a couple of corners and crossing the street, the Golden Drink Bar came into view. 

Toadsworth’s Porsche was already parked. Checking the parking meter, Peach frowned. The old man hadn’t paid for his spot. 

If Peach weren't so emotionally exhausted, she might have flagged down a parking enforcement officer just to give Toadsworth a hard time, but she would remember to take advantage of the opportunity next time.

With an internal groan, Peach stepped into the bar…

… aaaaaand then turned her ass right back around and stepped out the way she came in.

“Peach-a, wait.” 

Nope. 

Quick footsteps caught up to her as Peach power walked back through the parking lot. 

“Just-a letta me explain,” Mario jogged beside her, attempting to make eye contact with her.

Nnnope.

“Princess,” Toadsworth called from the front door of the bar.

Immediately, Peach stopped and turned around, causing Mario to stumble.

“Is this your idea of a joke, Grandfather?” Peach frowned. 

Toadsworth studied her with an expression that made him look much older than his age would suggest. She then looked to Mario who had his arm in a sling, a look of deep remorse on his face... and a new Rune symbol on his neck.

“I… wish it were, ol’ gal,” he muttered, pulling out an envelope from his pocket and extending it in her direction. 

Peach quietly walked across the parking lot, reached out, and took the envelope with both hands. 

It was stamped with the unbroken seal of the Toadstool family crest, but the return address was unfamiliar. With a quick twist of her nails, she ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Peach’s eyes widened as she read the contents.

It was a death announcement.


	8. The Will

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops.
> 
> Meant to look over Chapter 9 a little more before airing it... 
> 
> Enjoy the early update! ♪~ ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“Peach, where r u?”_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“i could bring sum whiskey and we culd get sloshed.”_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“Pauline asked 4 u.”_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“Can u pick up?”_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“Mybe jus let me no ur alive?’_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“Every1 is worried.”_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“I no u want 2 b left alone but u shuldnt go thru this on ur own.”_

***Bzzt Bzzt***

Daisy: _“ansr me, u slut bagel.”_

  
  


Peach grabbed her phone, turned it off, and stuffed it into her purse. 

The skirt of her black dress momentarily snagged on the doorframe as she stepped into Mother’s hospital room. 

Everything was as it was the last time Peach came to visit.

The room smelled like baby powder and rubbing alcohol mixed with strawberry cough syrup. There was a fresh vase of Yellow Acacia flowers on Mother’s windowsill and a photo book on her bedside table. The bedsheets were her favorite shade of baby blue and there was a wall full of Get-Well Letters from her peers, along with a whole other wall filled with maps, pictures of historical finds, and newspaper clippings that featured Mother when she traveled the world as an archaeologist.

Stepping further into the room, Peach took a glance at the clipboard hanging from the side of Mother’s bed. None of the prescriptions had been changed.

Not that Peach had the power to change anything within this room. Even in death, Father had made sure of that. A wry smile lit Peach’s features as she remembered the contents of her Father’s Will; one sentence was all that he had bothered to write.

_"In the event that I should die, everything I own will be given to my wife, xxxxx xxxxx Toadstool."_

The kicker was, Father had written his will 3 years ago - - but Mother had been in a coma for 5 years.

An uninterrupted coma.

For 5 years.

With the amount of money Father had stashed away in savings and life insurance, Mother could stay on life support for the next 200 years and still have enough money to build a castle in the Sweetfish Alps. Not to mention the Labs were still fully functioning and the secret to the fusion of magic and technology was still a complete mystery to everyone except the original three creators.

Toadsworth, Mother, and Father.

It wasn't a coincidence that the New Donk Hospital had an unprecedented amount of funding. When Toadsworth had been pulled out of retirement by Peach’s parents, he bought the NDH.... _with cash_. Was that legal? Not initially. But once Toadsworth jumped through a few Federal hoops and paid off the health care system, NDH became the leading medical facility in the world overnight. 

Why?

Rune.

Toadsworth owned the rights to Rune’s distribution. He also had easy access to some seriously expensive but experimental tech. Peach suspected that owning NDH was an easy way for her parents to test Rune on the downlow, which ultimately became the lifeblood of New Donk City. Every square foot of land on the outskirts of the hospital had become borderline sacred. Law firms, food chains, and clinics paid unbelievable amounts of money to build establishments nearby.

What had once been a small medical facility surrounded by small-town shops, had been turned into a skyscraper city within a year. 

The problem?

Two of the main three creators were either dead or incapacitated.

The Labs were now teetering on the brink of collapse. This, in turn, meant that more than half of the jobs in New Donk City could be lost, along with the money the city got from federal health research funding.

Toadsworth was the only creator alive capable of keeping the Labs running, and he had been trying to retire for the past decade. He didn’t have any kids or next of kin and the two people he trusted the most were both dead or close to it.

The greatest technological advancement the world has ever seen was on the shoulders of one man.

_“As long as it’s not me,”_ Peach thought to herself, sitting in an armchair by the window. The little picture book on the table caught her attention. Toadsworth always updated it every year, adding more pages when the previous ones were full.

Curious, Peach picked up the album and flipped to the most recent addition. 

It was a picture of her and Daisy posing in their graduation gowns.

Stars, that was 4 years ago. Peach was 24 now. What she would give to go back and relive her college days. 

By then, Rune had only been accessible to the public for a year. Anyone 18 and older had it and used it everywhere they went on campus. Everything changed as soon as Rune was administered.

Rune is essentially a Smart Tattoo that is only limited by the amount of magic your body creates naturally. It was all based on Aptitude for magic. Every living creature on the planet has some level of magic. The Nanos within Rune are powered by magic. Once injected into your body and a semi-permanent symbol (tattoo) called a ‘Rune’ would appear on your arm. It could heal anything when given enough time to mingle with your body’s immune system. 

Almost literally anything.

A skinned knee could be healed in 2 minutes, people who suffered from asthma would never need to use an inhaler, and women on their periods would no longer suffer from cramps.

With extra updates and another injection, a new ‘Rune’ tattoo would be added to your skin and your body would be equipped with a new Skill. One update allows consumers to access the internet and project visuals for others to see. Another Rune update allows you to listen to music without earbuds. With enough time, everything your phone could do, your body could do for you. 

Once Rune is administered, it becomes an extension of your consciousness, drawing from the stores of magic held within your soul. 

It is an understatement to say that Rune was an explosive success. The whole world was buzzing with people who had Rune or who were chomping at the bit to get it. 

The campus Peach attended was no different. It was like going to a school for wizards. There were students and teachers everywhere, muttering to themselves under their breath while waving their hands in the empty air in front of them. There were also groups of people standing together, making their projections with Rune public so everyone could see what they were doing before their own eyes.

One of the students, who had an unprecedented Aptitude for magic, walked around campus every day with his hair on fire. There were also several times when he set off very _real_ looking firework projections in the middle of campus. He obviously got into trouble, but when he graduated, the school hired him to put on light shows once a year. 

The world was suddenly filled with magic like no one had ever seen before. Everywhere the eye could see there were flashes of color and new clever ways to use Rune and Peach, like everyone else, was excited.

While she was at college, Peach watched every video on Rune and how to use it, despite being a few months too young to get it. In every subject, she was the top of her class, creating close connections to well-accredited researchers and educators. 

Peach had two subjects she was passionate about. Like her Mother, Peach loved anything historical. Unanswered questions of the past were what she lived for. And Peach was so very good at asking questions. 

Yet, she also had a passion for Journalism and Law. Asking questions and digging for answers that could bring the truth to light and criminals to justice. 

Her Father was somewhat alarmed and “displeased” when he heard that she had chosen Investigative Journalism as her major. Sure, her parents had some serious connections in the world of archaeology, but all of those connections would be loyal to her parents first.

And Peach was still just a litttttle bitter over the fact that her parents had both essentially abandoned her so they could work on Rune. 

So, yeah.

...Fuck archaeology.

Anyhow, college was great. Rune was a success, and the world was now a magical wonderland. Rune’s success and the lives it saved somewhat lessened the sting of being left behind. Not that Peach forgot. Not by a long shot. But Mother and Father’s work had created something that saved lives and cured things that previously had been impossible to cure. 

How many lives had they saved? Who would walk home cancer-free tonight with only the cost of Peach losing her parents for 4 years?

It was… worth it. Sucky. But worth it.

Until Peach and Daisy walked into the clinic to have Rune administered.

It turns out, Peach had the lowest Aptitude for magic the nurses had ever seen. When injected into her system, the Nanos almost immediately shut down. There wasn’t enough magic within her body to keep them active. 

In the end, Daisy came out with four beautiful Rune marks and Peach was metaphorically branded as a ‘Fault’. Defective. Flawed… Disabled.

Within a year, Peach lost her position at the top of her class and most other students her age began to catch up. It was obvious that their day to day performance had been boosted by Rune. Even Daisy, the lazy party animal, became a straight-A student. 

By the time graduation rolled around, most of the connections Peach had forged during her first year at college had rescinded their job offers. The rest didn’t bother to respond. 

Peach went from expecting a paid apprenticeship with a world-renowned journalist to hoping Wali-mart would allow her to greet customers at the front door. 

And there was nothing she could do to fix it.


	9. Bucket List

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my dearest readers:
> 
> There will come a time when a hard decision MUST be made.  
> Your answer will affect us all.
> 
> You get one chance.
> 
> \\\ YES or NO? //
> 
> Comment your answer below.

_Grandfather,_

_I’ll be out of town for a few weeks. Keep practicing Super Smack until I get back._

_Love,_

_Peach_

* * *

(Semi-optional Music)

[Revolution Earth by the B-52's](https://youtu.be/BmbDgfYOJng)

As soon as the pilot gave her the go-ahead, Peach straightened out her life-line one last time and grabbed onto the built-in handhold on the frame of the plane. Just as she lifted her head and pulled herself onto the left wing, she felt an electric bolt of fear rip through her as the vicious airstream almost ripped her away from the plane. With adrenaline-induced strength, Peach flattened herself against the wing and began clawing her way to the metal brace located between the wings on top of the plane.

A triumphant yell escaped her exhausted lungs as she strapped herself onto the brace and allowed herself to enjoy the ride. The evening clouds were burning amber and the rolling hills far below seemed to sway as the breeze blew the trees from side to side. Even better, the sky was all hers.

Peach lifted her hands above her head and let the wind whip through her clothes, imagining her cares being torn to shreds in the air stream and left behind to fertilize some unfortunate tree in the middle of a star forsaken forest that she would never visit. 

The exhilaration.

The freedom.

This would be an epic way to die.

*tug* *tug*

Peach looked down at her safety strap and felt the pilot give her two short tugs to let her know that the flight was coming to an end. Tugging back, she let him know that she had received his message and began unstrapping herself from the brace. When she was free, she began climbing back down under the wing of the plane, unclipping the lifeline. Since it was a bi-wing airplane, instead of going back to her passenger seat beside the pilot, she crouched and walked between the flats of the left wing until she made it to the tip of the wing. 

A second plane came into view and the pilot nodded at her, giving her a thumbs up. Returning the gesture, Peach kicked off the wing, leaned forward, and let the airstream catch her as she began her freefall.

The drop was immaculate. It was so good that Peach decided to engage the parachute far past the recommended time. Though her landing was pretty clean, if a little jarring, the instructors were less than pleased.

Oh well.

She paid in full with a generous tip to her pilot and placed her duffle bag in the rental car. Once she was in the driver’s seat, she unlocked the glove box and pulled out a crinkled up paper.

BUCKET LIST

~~T-Rex Tipping~~

~~Eat the Spiciest Food - Luncheon Kingdom~~

~~Ride an Airship~~

~~Scuba Diving~~

~~Bike Through Pyramids - Birabuto~~

~~Bet in the Bound Bowl Grand Prix~~

~~Try Sparkle water - Seaside~~

~~Plane Surfing~~

~~SkydIving~~

Mountain Climb to the Peak of Sky Garden

Get laid

“Should have made a longer list,” Peach muttered. She had written this sometime after she had helped create the Gang back in New Donk. Some part of her had always hoped she might get a chance to do all of the things Mario and the others talked about. Mario and Daisy had even told her they would help smuggle her out of the city if they had to.

Of course, that time never came. Peach had been too scared of the repercussions and it didn’t take the others long to forget the list in lieu of their own adventures.

But now, she was free. She didn’t need to be smuggled. No one needed to escort her anywhere ever again. All of her plans and experiences would be her own without any strings attached. 

The only snag was her list was growing short. It had only been two weeks and she was already at the bottom of the list. The mountain climb would be exciting. That would probably take up 2 or three days, but the last one…

Daisy had insisted on that one.

As Peach thought over her options, she pulled up to a grungy little hotel with 3 floors and a broken sliding door. Pulling out a small hand suitcase, she wrenched open the side door and smiled at the Koopa working the front desk. 

They had a polite exchange before handing Peach the key to her room.

The fact that the elevator was out of order was more amusing than off-putting. After all, fewer people would want to be on the top floor if they didn't have easy access, giving Peach more of a chance to have a quiet night's rest. 

Unlocking her door, Peach threw her bag on the second bed farthest from the window and tiredly stepped into the bathroom. 

She could barely recognize herself in the mirror. Her hair was jet black, her contacts were green, and her clothes were expensively sleek. It was quite the style change. Normally, she liked frayed jeans and bleached hoodies but it was in her best interest not to be recognized. The news had been covering her disappearance since the day of her Father's funeral and any reporter worth their salt would be on her case if she so much as chewed her favorite bubble gum. 

Not that it bothered her. If anything, it added to the feeling of excitement. There was something addictive about leading a second life in plain sight.

* * *

~~...~~

~~Plane Surfing~~

~~SkydIving~~

~~Mountain Climb to the Peak of Sky Garden~~

Get laid

  
  
  


“... Nahhh,” Peach laughed sardonically, folding up the paper and stuffing it in the center console of her car. Not her idea, not her problem. Besides, the Wooded Kingdom was mostly inhabited by robots. That, and peer pressure was a thing of the past. At least, as long as she could avoid...

Peach straightened up on the seat of her four-wheeler. 

Where had that flash of light come from?

Suddenly, these woods felt a little claustrophobic. With a quick flick of her wrist, the engine of her four-wheeler came to life and she sped down the muddy paths towards her makeshift camp.

Once she was close enough, she dismounted, snatched her backpack from inside her tent, and sped off in a hurry back down another more hidden path. Like a pro, she tore through the woods on the four-wheeler at a break-neck pace just barely clipping trees and hopping hills as quick as she dared. When she came to the main road within Steam Gardens, she aimed the four-wheeler for the river and jumped off into a nearby bush as it continued to roll straight over the edge with a loud splash.

To her luck, the robots became frantic, some began flailing their arms in a panic and others river started running after the four-wheeler as it drifted with the current of the water. 

The only thing that worried her was the fact that no one else came out of the forest. No hidden reporters or campers.

Had she imagined it?

___________________

A few more days later and she was back at Seaside. Sure, it was a little redundant considering she had only just been here a week ago, but the sun never felt better. It was also a popular place filled with all manner of tourists. Mom and Pop shops lined the waterfront selling anything and everything a vacationeer could dream of. 

The thing that brought Peach back? Their seafood… and the gorgeous sundresses a Shyguy seamstress made by hand. 

“Ahhh…” Peach sighed lustfully over a large plate of seafood, “My Stars, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so wonderful in my whole life.”

A young Bubblainian by the name of Squish gurgled and his shell turned a deeper shade of navy blue. “I’m pleased. It is good to see you have returned. W-would my lady like another glass of Sparkle Water?”

“‘Your lady’ would love that,” Peach teased with a wink. Her smile grew warmer as he hurried back into the kitchen, his shell now reminiscent of a large blueberry.

***Jingle***

The little bell over the front entrance gave an almost harsh peel as heavy footsteps entered the restaurant. 

“Hello! Welcome to Squish’s Fish Stop! I’ll be with you…. Shortly?” Squish trailed off from behind the front counter window. 

Peach looked up from her half-eaten plate, only to feel her stomach and all of its contents drop as a large monkey and a petite woman slid into the booth on the other side of Peach’s table. 

“Fancy seeing you here… Peachy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh man. 
> 
> Even just drafting these next few chapters gets me excited. 
> 
> Just you wait. 
> 
> I have so much in store for you. (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)


End file.
